Local thinks Arkansas should rethink PARCC commitmentThe Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) will soon be found on the sea floor of yet another failed education reform abyss. What began as a Titanic gathering of states in an effort to create a new magic bullet for student and teacher evaluation has become more of a yellow submarine. States are jumping ship, the contracted vendor is under fire for corruption, and Congress just took away the lifeboat of Race...

Response to Daily's claim of injusticeThis letter is in response to Justice Daily’s letter to the editor where he claims there was an injustice on the Quorum Court at a 2014 Budget Committee meeting. There was no injustice at the Quorum Court 2014 Budget Committee meeting. Justice Daily simply didn’t understand the difference between a 2014 Budget Committee meeting and a 2015 Budget Hearing, which are two separate and distinct committees. The 2014 Budget Committee meetings are hel...

District 16 Senate raceThere is a very important special election taking place on Jan. 13, which is for the next State Senator representing all of Pope and Newton counties and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties. This special election occurred when our good Senator, Michael Lameroux, resigned the position to become Chief of Staff for our new Governor, Asa Hutchinson. There are three gentlemen running for this Senate seat. I know two of the gentlemen, both...

AVAEDIf we had lesser men on the Alliance Board, we probably would have a bunch of empty seats on that board. To be unpaid positions and go through the hassle they already have on the development of the intermodal center, and now their integrity be subjected to this unnecessary witch hunt started by one city council member, most folks would have resigned so quick it would make your head swim, just to get rid of the hassle. If the city council proce...

Injustice at Budget Committee meetingAs a member of the Pope County Quorum Court, I want to say that there was an injustice done at the December Budget committee meeting. I was not allowed to talk about the PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) money. The reason the Committee chairman told me this was that the PILT money had nothing to do with the 2015 budget. How can it not be? This is a large block of money that is being used for the anticipated revenue for the County’s budget of 201...

Networking vs. JunketsThe definition of NETWORKING - “the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.” The definition of JUNKET - “a trip made by a government official and paid by the public.” The convoluted bickering and divisive issues between some members of the Council and some members of the Alliance would appear to be simply which side of the fence you were on and more specifically a clash of strong personalities or perhaps a matter of...

Michael Brown caseThe Ferguson, Mo., grand jury voted to not indict Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown. The legal system did what was mandated by law. Despite this, civil unrest by those refusing to accept the verdict has increased. Many believe this is due in part to the remarks and actions by Attorney General Eric Holder, which do not support the grand jury’s decision. He has ordered a civil rights violation investigation and has called meetings to ...

Kudos to the mayorThanks, Mayor Eaton, for your letter to the editor this Saturday morning, Nov. 15. I wished you had written it before the election. We all should be so conscientious before we pull that lever for a candidate. Regretting that I didn’t ask you why your were not running because I thought you had done a fantastic job, am I to assume the pressure from the behind the scenes power-brokers was too much? The one time I had called your office you had re...

Be an informed voterIn the recent General Election, voters of Russellville chose between three candidates, and the result is a run-off between Councilman Randy Horton and former Mayor Tyrone Williamson. The old adage, “be an informed voter,” cannot be over-emphasized at this point. What voters should do is inquire about the records of the two candidates. Ask questions about what the two accomplished during their term in office. Were there any incidents during eit...

ElectionI don’t think that the sweeping change was so much about party affiliation as it was the values of the people of Arkansas. I think local political parties across the country are going to have to sculpt an agenda that is closer to those of their local people rather than embrace a national platform that is abhorrent to their constituency, as it was this go around. Arkansas has a rich history with the Democratic party but not with the ideals expr...

Veterans honored at Fall FestOn Saturday, Oct. 24, Fall Fest was held in downtown Russellville. The weather was very nice and a variety of vendors, information and display booths lined the streets. I was honored to be invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag during the opening ceremony. Thank you Betsy McGuire. As I returned to the Marine Corps League booth (Lake Dardanelle Detachment No. 1310), I became very aware of the number of hats and shirts that display...

Reader Feedback: Arkansas Minimum Wage InitiativeHere are the results from a website poll on the proposed Arkansas Minimum Wage Initiative on the November general elction ballot. couriernews.com online polls are not intended to be a scientific sample of local or national opinion. Instead, they are a way for readers to share their views on the news with The Courier and fellow website users.

A strong national defenseI believe nothing is more important to our national defense than the welfare of military families. As with any organization, business, civic, etc., the personnel (which includes family) are always identified as that organization’s greatest asset. However, the leadership of those entities do not always put their money where their mouth is. Hardware and other things often take precedence for continually shrinking funds. Current pending sequestra...

Support for Plains and Eastern Clean Line ProjectAs one of Arkansas’ largest heavy industrial infrastructure contractors, we would like to express support for the Plains and Eastern Clean Line Project. This transmission project benefits Arkansas by creating new jobs, stimulating economic development, diversifying Arkansas electrical generation mix and improving system reliability. Low-cost electricity has been a major driver of economic development in Arkansas and the region, supporting the ...

Re-elect Alderman Mark TrippI would like to thank Alderman Mark Tripp, a true asset to our community, for his well-served time on our Russellville City Council and encourage fellow Russellville residents to re-elect him to his current position. He has a giving heart and is equally giving of his time, making himself readily available to serve our community with integrity and honesty. Many times I have contacted Mark Tripp regarding issues large and small, and no matter th...

Local optionIt is interesting that all the ads concerning “local rights” are 99 percent paid for by the liquor stores in “wet counties,” trying to save citizens from the horror of being able to buy beer or liquor locally and take it home to consume. (It is fine with them as long as we drive to where they are and bring it home, though.) They are saying you are going to have liquor stores next to schools and churches. I’m not an expert on business but two t...

Deborah DeJohnette for City CouncilDeborah DeJohnette has been a resident of Russellville for over 20 years, and now she is a candidate for City Council in Ward 4 Position 2. She is dedicated to serving her community and the citizens of Russellville. Her top goals include addressing the concerns of her community, bringing jobs to Russellville and working with the leaders of Russellville to do what’s best for its citizens. I hope you will read her Q&A in The Courier and consider...

Get out and votePlease exercise your right to vote! Our forefathers, parents, grandparents and countless military men and women have sacrificed to insure our freedom and right to vote and choose who will lead us forward to provide for our future, better health and welfare for all. We owe it to our predecessors, our children and the future for our grandchildren to vote and then support whichever candidates are elected. We all need to try to work together and e...

Issue 4Recently an ad against Issue 4 included a claim that if the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Initiative is passed, counties would have “no choice” regarding alcohol sales. I found this ironic, as those against the issue want to take away the choice of people to shop locally. I looked online at the details of the proposal. According to the website, the “Arkansas General Assembly would be tasked with regulating the manufacture, sale distribution and ...